Midsomer Murders to get its first regular Asian lead character

Midsomer Murders is to get its first regular leading Asian character four years after one of its creators said it “wouldn’t work” with ethnic minorities.

Manjinder Virk, who starred in BBC1’s Ordinary Lies and Peter Kosminsky’s Bafta-winning Britz on Channel 4, will play pathologist Dr Kam Karimore in the long-running murder mystery series which will return to ITV next year.

The series, starring Neil Dudgeon as DCI John Barnaby, cousin of the original lead character played by John Nettles, found itself at the centre of a race storm after its then producer, Brian True-May, said it “wouldn’t work” if there was any racial diversity on the show which he described as the “last bastion of Englishness”.

True-May subsequently left his role on the show made by All3Media-owned Bentley Productions, now owned by Discovery Communications and John Malone’s Liberty Global.

An actor, writer and director, Coventry-born Virk, whose parents came to the UK from India in the 1970s, has also appeared in BBC1’s Sunday night hit Call The Midwife and ITV medical drama Monroe.

Filming is already underway on a new six-part series – the 18th – which will feature storylines including bodysnatching, competitive cycling and the sighting of UFO’s over Midsomer.

Midsomer Murders began on ITV in 1997 and is watched by more than 6 million viewers a week.

Dudgeon will return alongside Gwilym Lee as DS Charlie Nelson, who will be assisted by Virk’s pathologist as they “tackle intricate murder mysteries in the beautiful but deadly countryside of Midsomer”, said ITV.

Executive producer Jo Wright said: “We are back for even more episodes next year thanks to ITV, which gives us chance to explore more strange and entertaining tales of Midsomer life. And with a new pathologist who will cause DS Nelson trouble in more ways than one.”

Midsomer Murders has featured several Asian characters since True-May’s comments in 2011 but Virk will have the first prominent recurring role.

True-May said at the time the programme just doesn’t “have ethnic minorities involved. Because it wouldn’t be the English village with them. It just wouldn’t work.

“Suddenly we might be in Slough. Ironically, Causton (one of the main centres of population in the show) is supposed to be Slough. And if you went into Slough you wouldn’t see a white face there. We’re the last bastion of Englishness and I want to keep it that way.”

ITV said at the time that it was “shocked and appalled” at the sentiments which were “absolutely not shared by anyone at ITV”.

Fuelled in large part by a campaign led Lenny Henry, all of the UK’s main broadcasters have been on a drive to increase the diversity of their programming, both on and off screen.

ITV channels director of drama Steve November said: “Midsomer Murders is one of ITV’s most enduring and successful dramas. We’re delighted to be recommissioning a further six episodes and to be continuing our working partnership with Jo Wright and her team.”